cent, of the total lumber cut in the State, and of the thirty-five kinds reported 

 for manufacture, exclusive of the imported foreign woods, all but five were 

 cut wholly or in part within the State, while of the twenty-three conifers 

 or softwoods a portion of the supply of only thirteen were returned as State- 

 grown. 



OAKS. 



The oaks are the leading hardwoods consumed by the Pennsylvania wood 

 users. In trade the wood of the oaks is separated into two general classes, 

 white oaks and red oaks, but the botanist's classification, which is based on 

 difference in flower, fruit, and leaf, divides the oaks into more than fifty 

 species. The manufacturer bases his distinction upon the qualities of the 

 wood. The white oaks possess an even grain and fine texture, and are 

 usually strong, hard, heavy, tough, dense, and durable but difficult to 

 season; the red oaks are less strong and durable, and not so dense, 

 but more easily worked because softer, more easily kiln-dried and, on ac- 

 count of being more porous they take stains and varnish more readily. Oak 

 is brought into Pennsylvania in greater quantities than any other wood ex- 

 cept shortleaf pine notwithstanding the fact that the cut of State-grown oak 

 exceeds the quantity used by the manufacturers by over ninety million feet. 

 There are many instances in which oak is demanded because it is^ the best 

 suited and often the only practical material for the purpose. This accounts 

 for the wood being first in importance for meeting a greater number of uses 

 in Pennsylvania than any other American wood. Thirty-five industries de- 

 mand some one or more of the white oak group and thirty-two industries 

 one or more of the red oaks. The number of uses reported, as shown in 

 the summary in the following pages, for the white oak is 738 and for the 

 red oak 310. The car builders consume over one-half of the former and con- 

 siderably more than one-third of all the latter that goes into further manu- 

 facture in the State. The furniture makers, including the chair industry, 

 use over six and one-half million feet more red than white oak, but on the 

 other hand, for vehicles, ship building, machine construction and agricul- 

 tural implements white oak is largely preferred to red oak. For a comparison 

 of the qualities of the two classes, the white oaks may be said generally to 

 have intermediate straight grain, and are very hard, porous, very heavy, 

 very strong, moderately stiff and elastic, and tough. They also split easily, 

 are durable, rather difficult to season and to work. The red group generally 

 are relatively coarse, straight grained, very hard, very porous, heavy, strong, 

 stiff, non-elastic, and tough. This wood splits rather easily, is moderately 

 durable, and rather difficult to season. 



Table 20. Consumption of Oak, year ending June, 1912. 



